The new variety originated as a naturally occurring mutation from the parent variety Cordyling brasiliensis ‘Glauca,’ an unpatented variety. The color variation was discovered at a commercial nursery in Ningi, Queensland, Australia by the inventors, Walter John Drane and Doreen Joy Drane in 1998.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar ‘Pink Joy’ was first performed in Ninji, Queensland Australia by vegetative cuttings. Multiple generations showed the distinctive pink margin to be stable and true to type, not returning to the solid green foliage of the parent variety. Subsequently ‘Pink Joy’ has been reproduced by micro-propagation and has shown that the unique features of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type through multiple generations.